Chap 79: You Picked a Bad Opponent

“Damn it, damn it all!!”

A resounding roar of anger shakes the surrounding air.

The one shouting, the demon Ifrith, was fuming.

Because his opponent was a weak man.

Because his opponent was the weakest in the guild.

Because he had been insulting him, calling him a weakling and incompetent.

Because he thought he could beat him easily.

Yet, here I am… still with all my limbs intact, right in front of him.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!!!!!!!!”

Ifrith swings his mighty arm at high speed.

If it hits, it’s an instant kill, no doubt.

But… if it misses, nothing happens.

Ifrith’s wide-swinging attack followed a predictable trajectory, so I dodged with minimal movement and swung my magic-charged sword as if to slam it into Ifrith’s face.

“Guhah…! Damn it! DAMN IT!!!”

Ifrith, convulsing in pain, quickly regenerated his body in the blink of an eye.

A relentless rush.

Each blow carried immense magical power, shattering the continuous onslaught of attacks generated by the weapon I had created.

That said… I had predicted every trajectory.

Until a moment ago, I had to consider various countermeasures—like the mystery of my attacks being deflected by invisible walls, or the nuisance of his immortality…

But now, it’s different.

There’s no need for any tactics or countermeasures anymore.

I will… give it my all, as if I were ready to die.

“You little brat!! You, why the hell aren’t you dying!! You weakling! You useless wretch!”

Ifrith was completely steamed.

Well, of course.

After all, he’s been fighting someone he had always taken for granted as inferior.

He’s trying to smash my face.

He’s trying to destroy my recovery ring.

He’s ignoring everyone else, determined to kill me—the only one standing before him.

The longer the fight dragged on… eventually, Ifrith’s attacks grew steadily more repetitive.

Thanks to that, I managed to parry his attacks rather well.

That said, his arm still pierced my chest.
I’m clenching his arm tightly.

Every movement sends pain coursing through my entire body.

I’m constantly spitting blood, with injuries and bleeding all over.

But thanks to the ring’s effect, I recover instantly.

At least my body is always in a recovered state.

And that’s the same for him.

Even though both my all-out, magic-charged attack and the continuous assault from the weapon I created using 【Creative Create】 hit him and inflicted damage… Ifrith’s body instantly returned to normal.

The immortal Ifrith.

And me, automatically healing thanks to my ring.

I thought our compatibility was the worst…

Well, perhaps that’s just the way it is.

The outcome of this battle is—

“Hey, what do you think the first weapon I ever created was? Well… I suppose there’s no time to answer that.”

“Ahh?”

Ifrith glared at me with his bloodshot, piercing eyes.

“Ah, so you’re listening, I see. Then I’ll tell you: I made a copy of that ring you’ve been targeting all this time.”

The ring on my index finger still glows softly.

The ring the goddess gave me so that I wouldn’t die.

It can do more than auto-recover; it can even resurrect.

Truly, a cheat-level item.

I wondered if I could create a copy, and so I trained with my master, Seris.

I was thrilled when it was completed.

I believed that, with this, no one would have to die.

I thought that no one would have to die, but…

But reality isn’t so kind, or rather…

Every Devil’s Triumphant Nightmare went insane because of that ring.

“I actually made the copy to avoid dying, but now… not fearing death has become my strongest weapon.”

Well, that’s… the same for me.

“From the start, I never planned to live through this fight with you. I’ll die, die, and die… as many times as it takes until you finally die. I’m fighting with the mindset of literally being ready to die. And besides, I was bullied from the get-go, so the idea of ending all that suffering in just one day… isn’t that just perfect?”

I’m no longer an ordinary human either.

I, too… have gone mad.

After all, I’m not afraid of dying.

“Come on, try and kill me even more.”

“Don’t fuck with me!!!”

Ifrith’s magical power skyrockets.

“You human scum!! You won’t die!!!!!!”

Bared, sharp fangs.

Hatred from the very depths of his stomach.

A surge of horrifying magical power.

Bulging veins and bloodshot eyes.

Killing intent emanates from his entire body.

All of it is aimed at me.

But… I no longer felt any fear of Ifrith.

All I was watching for was Ifrith’s opening.

“GRAAAAAAA!!!!” “That’s it!”

Before Ifrith could unleash his massive magical attack,
I activated 【Creative Create】, unleashing all my magical power in one go.

In an instant, countless machine guns materialized in midair.

“Wha⁉︎” “––FIRE!”

Like a thunderous barrage, countless bullets tore through Ifrith’s body as if shredding it apart.

Even if Ifrith tried to counterattack, every time he regenerated he was immediately dismantled by the endless stream of bullets, leaving him utterly immobile.

But this state of invincibility would last for only another 30 seconds…

That’s why.

I enshrouded my sword in black flames and mercilessly drove it into Ifrith’s face.

In an instant, violent black flames erupted from his face and spread all over his body.

I poured every bit of my magical power into those black flames.

“GYAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!”

Ifrith let out a piercing, shrill scream.

I knew—this was the most damage I’d ever inflicted.

Ifrith’s immortality allowed him to regenerate any wound in an instant.

But his immortality didn’t extend to quenching flames.

In short, if I could scorch him with flames at a pace that outstripped his regeneration, I might finally be able to take him down.

“You’re perceptive. As expected from a skilled fighter—your mind’s quick. Let me share something with you: if you want to obliterate us three top-tier demons—forget the weaklings flitting about—you must defeat all three simultaneously.”

If that other demon’s words are to be believed…

No matter how many times he dies and revives, if I can kill him even once—even if just for a moment—that’s all it takes.

“All three at once? Timing?”

I don’t have the luxury to worry about that.

After all, everyone else is probably being instantly annihilated by now.

“HAAAAAAA!!!!”

I gripped the sword I’d thrust in with all my might, channeling every bit of my magical power to amplify the fury of the black flames.

…Burn.
…Burn up completely.

His face, his arms, his legs—everything… burn!

Until I defeat you, I will die over and over again.

“Ugh… … … GRAAAAAAA!!!!”

For a moment, it felt as though Ifrith lost consciousness.

But then, his hand twitched.

In the very next moment, his magically charged, powerful arm lunged toward my face…

…It never reached me.

With a sliding sound, Ifrith’s arm crumbled.
No… it began to vanish.

“…?”

Ifrith appeared utterly unable to grasp the situation. I, too, was momentarily taken aback, but…

I extinguished the black flames.

“Ah, so in the end I was the one who defeated him last. Well, that figures—I’m the weakest in the guild, after all.”

“…? …?”

It seems Ifrith still doesn’t understand.

Then I decided to spell it out.

“You… no, you three have lost to us. It appears that in the battle of devils versus demons, the devils have come out on top.”

I went on,
“Sure, you’re strong. Undoubtedly, you’re stronger than me. But in the end, it’s you who will vanish from this world. If I had to pinpoint your defeat… you underestimated me as an inferior opponent, let your frustration take over, and as the battle dragged on your attacks became monotonous… basically—”

I gave a slight, knowing smile.

“You picked a bad opponent.”

“––”

In an instant, Ifrith’s face twisted into a hideous expression unlike anything I’d ever seen.

Even I felt a chill run down my spine, goosebumps forming in terror.

But before I could hear another word from him, his body—and his face—vanished.

“Ah… I’m exhausted…”

I collapsed onto the ground in a heap.

My magic was completely depleted.
I didn’t even have the strength to stand.

Even with the ring the goddess gave me, a full recovery would take some time.

“Crow…”
“Hmm? Ah, Lulu.”

In my hazy vision, I saw Lulu—the golden-haired beauty.